Hi Guys! Did anyone miss me? Did anyone notice that I was gone? I was, for a whole week. Please tell me you noticed . . . In my absence, Freddie wrote a guest post for you. It made me cry and laugh and be especially glad that I was home. I was glad anyway (I am quite fond of my bed, you know), but coming home to good friends is always the best part.

When the reality hit me that Jimmie was going to be gone for a whole week, I started to worry what my life was going to be like for that week. It’s been a while since I had to go more than a couple of days without her witty rapport. I decided to make the best of this situation and work on a guest post for Jimmie’s blog. Here goes!

Day #1 without Jimmie – Things Jimmie Taught Me

I went to a Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk and had my cell phone and keys in hand. As I was trying to determine whether I wanted to carry them the whole walk or put them in the car, I remembered some valuable knowledge Jimmie imparted onto me on one of our runs that we did last year: How to use your sports bra as a purse! I quickly proceeded to drop my keys down the front of my sports bra. Later in the walk, when I got tired of carrying my cell phone, I shoved it down the side of my bra. Thank you, Jimmie! We missed you on the walk!

Day #2 without Jimmie – Don’t touch my cookies!

As I was looking around to determine what I wanted to be for Halloween, I came across the following costume, appropriately (or inappropriately, depending on how well you know Jimmie) title “Don’t Touch my Cookies”:

‘Nough said!

Day #3 without Jimmie – Dammit Jimmie!

Jimmie has been teaching me recently the art of eye makeup. I’ve always worn eye makeup in the past, but recently, I’ve been stuck in a rut. One day, while inquiring about the particularly lovely shade of eye shadow that Jimmie was wearing, she suggested that she go with me to buy some of my very own. We made a trip to the local Rite Aid and found the exact brand and shade that she had. She then proceeded to persuade me to purchase a set of brushes to help apply the eye shadow. I’ve never owned brushes before; I’ve just used the brushes that came in the eye shadow, so this was a new experience for me. After some very careful explanation of how to apply the shadows using the brushes, we parted ways and I smiled all the way home with the delight that I, too, would soon have shimmery blue and pink eyelids! Well, over the weekend, I purchased some eye shadows in shades of grey (yes, I may be addicted). I’m wearing my amazing new eye shadow today, and while I would normally go by Jimmie’s desk to flaunt my newest purchase and thank her profusely for re-introducing me to the world of fun eye shades, she’s on a cruise…in the Pacific Ocean…and she will not get to enjoy being the first to compliment me on my new smokey grey eye lids. Dammit Jimmie!

Day #4 without Jimmie – The Walk-By

Jimmie’s desk is between my desk and the front door, front stairs, bathroom, many of the important things in my work day, and my desk happens to be between Jimmie’s desk and the printer and break room, important things in her work day. Needless to say, we pass each other’s desks several times throughout the day. Most of the times that I walk by, I make faces, do a little dance or one of the other things that may make Jimmie smile, laugh, or even stop her work to chat for a bit. Jimmie doesn’t need such excuses to visit my workspace. She simply walks in and plops right down on my desk with her semi-JLo bootay and proceeds to tell me fun stories about her weekend or fun things that Tigger and Pooh have done lately or any other tales that might come up. It’s a part of my life that I have come to expect, love, and appreciate, and while I have other coworkers who I enjoy spending time with, none of them compare to the walk-bys that Jimmie and I share.

Day #5 without Jimmie – You’re so Pretty!

Today was not a great day. It was rainy and cold and that is not a good combination when it’s been 80 degrees outside! Going from highs in the 80s to highs in the 50s within a few days is kind of awful. Add a little PMS to that, and you have a recipe for an awful day. Most days like this, Jimmie and I wear our sparkly eyeliner and tell each other how pretty we look. I really missed that today! No matter what’s going on in our day or how horrible someone just talked to us or treated us, those three little words make everything all better. Jimmie, I know that you’re loving life way out in the ocean, and you’re so pretty!

Day #6 without Jimmie – Would the Social Director Please Report to the Poop Deck?

It hit me today that I haven’t heard from Felix or Kindle for a couple of days…actually, the only time I’ve seen Felix since Jimmie was gone was when I insisted that we go to lunch on Tuesday. Jimmie just happens to be the glue that holds us all together…literally! Jimmie talks to all of us and then tells the others what everyone else is doing. Then, there are the times that Jimmie invites Kindle upstairs to visit and she stops by my cube or I find Felix chilling in Jimmie’s cube talking. Regardless, without Jimmie, we don’t talk. It’s weird. She’s our coordinator, better yet, she’s our social director. Things turn to shit when she’s not there. So…would the social director please report to the poop deck immediately? There’s a desperate need for your attention.

Day #7 without Jimmie – I Caved

I couldn’t resist any longer. I texted Jimmie. The conversation went something like this:

I may have been a little excited to make contact again. It’s amazing when you see someone every day for so long and suddenly they’re gone for a week, and it makes you realize how much of your life they were filling. It’s no wonder I caved!

Day #8 without Jimmie – The Return of Jimmie

Jimmie came back today! Well tonight. I know, because Ian posted a picture of me in my Halloween costume tonight. The costume was a ringmaster costume like this

except I had tights like theseto make it a little more comical:

So, when the comment popped up from Jimmie asking what I was wearing, it was understandable. Plus, it means that Jimmie’s back! Woohoo! Welcome home, Jimmie! We missed you!

For the record, I missed my friends awfully. It’s possible that I was slightly teary-eyed when I got home. And I’ll have my own recap of the trip as soon as I get my thoughts organized. It’s hard to use your brain after having been so lazy.